Magnetic resonance imaging for image guided implantology

摘要

Image guided implantology using navigation systems is more accurate than manual dental implant insertion. The underlying image data are usually derived from computer tomography. The suitability of MR imaging for dental implant planning is a marginal issue so far. MRI data from cadaver heads were acquired using various MRI sequences. The data were assessed for the quality of anatomical imaging, geometric accuracy and susceptibility to dental metal artefacts. For dental implant planning, 3D models of the jaws were created. A software system for segmentation of the mandible and maxilla MRI data was implemented using c++, mitk, and qt. With the VIBE_15 sequence, image data with high geometric accuracy were acquired. Dental metal artefacts were lower than in CT data of the same heads. The segmentation of the jaws was feasible, in contrast to the segmentation of the dentition, since there is a lack of contrast to the intraoral soft tissue structures. MRI is a suitable method for imaging of the region of mouth and jaws. The geometric accuracy is excellent and the susceptibility to artefacts is low. However, there are yet two limitations: Firstly, the imaging of the dentition needs further improvement to allow accurate segmentation of these regions. Secondly, the sequence used in this study takes several minutes and hence is susceptible to motion artefacts.